عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Kallas: EU Expected to Agree Long-stalled Sanctions on Israeli Settlers

A view of the new Jewish settlers’ outpost erected on the outskirts of the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on March 12, 2026. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
A view of the new Jewish settlers’ outpost erected on the outskirts of the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on March 12, 2026. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
TT
TT

Kallas: EU Expected to Agree Long-stalled Sanctions on Israeli Settlers

A view of the new Jewish settlers’ outpost erected on the outskirts of the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on March 12, 2026. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
A view of the new Jewish settlers’ outpost erected on the outskirts of the village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on March 12, 2026. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

The European Union was expected Monday to agree new sanctions on Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians, the bloc's top diplomat said, as a change of government in Hungary ends months of blockage.

"I expect political agreement on the sanctions on violent settlers, hopefully we will get there," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers.

The move in response to rising violence and settlement expansion in the Israeli-occupied West Bank had been stalled by former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban.

But nationalist leader and Israel ally's ouster by rival Peter Magyar now appears to have paved the way for the veto to be lifted.

EU officials said seven settlers or settler organizations were set to be blacklisted. The bloc was also set to sanction representatives from Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The occupied West Bank has been gripped by almost daily violence since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, involving both Israeli troops and settlers.

There has been a surge in deadly attacks by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank since the start of the Iran war on February 28, Palestinian officials and the United Nations have said.

While the EU is moving ahead with the sanctions on Israeli settlers, there remains no consensus among the bloc's member states to take further steps against Israel such as curbing trade ties.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Iran Describes its Proposal to End War with US as Legitimate, Generous

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
TT
TT

Iran Describes its Proposal to End War with US as Legitimate, Generous

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei. (Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Iran's proposal to end war with the US and reopen the Strait of Hormuz was legitimate and generous, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil ‌Baghaei said ‌on Monday, adding ‌that ⁠the US continues ⁠to uphold unreasonable and one-sided demands.

"Our demand is legitimate: demanding an end to ⁠the war, lifting the (US) ‌blockade ‌and piracy, and ‌releasing Iranian assets that ‌have been unjustly frozen in banks due to US pressure," Baghaei ‌said according to Reuters.

"Safe passage through the Strait of ⁠Hormuz ⁠and establishing security in the region and Lebanon were other demands of Iran, which are considered a generous and responsible offer for regional security."

Iran responded to Washington's latest peace proposal on Sunday, after drones threatened several Gulf region targets and Tehran warned it would not hold back from retaliating against any new US strikes.

According to state broadcaster IRIB, Tehran's response, passed to Pakistani mediators, focuses on ending the war "on all fronts, especially Lebanon" -- where Israel has kept up its fight with Iran-backed Hezbollah -- as well as on "ensuring shipping security".

US President Donald Trump had said he was expecting Iran's reply by Friday, but as the wait dragged on, the ceasefire in the Gulf came under increasing strain, including from Sunday's drone strikes, one of which hit and damaged a freighter sailing towards a port in Qatar.

The United Arab Emirates accused Iran of being behind another attack that targeted its territory in what would be, if confirmed, only the second strike on a Gulf country since the start of the month-old truce.

"We will never bow down to the enemy, and if there is talk of dialogue or negotiation, it does not mean surrender or retreat," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on X Sunday.

Tehran's military chief Ali Abdollahi, meanwhile, met the country's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and received "new directives and guidance for the continuation of operations to confront the enemy", according to Iranian state television.

World

Ukraine Reports Russian Attacks and Battlefield Clashes Despite Ceasefire

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a private building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 06 May 2026. (EPA)
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a private building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 06 May 2026. (EPA)
TT
TT

Ukraine Reports Russian Attacks and Battlefield Clashes Despite Ceasefire

Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a private building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 06 May 2026. (EPA)
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a Russian strike on a private building in Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine, 06 May 2026. (EPA)

Ukraine's military and regional officials ‌on Monday reported Russian drone strikes and battlefield clashes over the past 24 hours, despite a US-brokered ceasefire.

Ukraine and Russia agreed on Friday to a ceasefire from May 9 to May 11 as part of a US-led push for peace under President Donald Trump to end more than four years of war since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

The ceasefire, which Trump said on Friday he ‌hoped would ‌be extended, was already showing signs ‌of ⁠strain on Sunday, ⁠when each side accused the other of violating it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday Moscow had refrained from large-scale aerial and missile attacks but that it had continued assaults along parts of the long front where Russian forces are advancing.

Russia's ⁠Defense Ministry accused Ukraine on Sunday ‌of flouting the ceasefire, ‌saying it had downed 57 Ukrainian drones over the past ‌day and "responded in kind" on the battlefield. ‌It did not immediately report on the battlefield situation on Monday.

In Ukraine, one person was killed and two people were wounded in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, ‌the regional governor said. Two were killed and two wounded in the southern region ⁠of Kherson, ⁠the Kherson region's governor said.

Three people were wounded in the neighboring Mykolaiv region, five were hurt in the northern region of Kharkiv and four were wounded in the eastern region of Donetsk, according to reports by the regions' governors.

The General Staff of Ukraine's military said 180 battlefield clashes had been recorded along the front line over the past 24 hours and that Russian forces had on Sunday deployed 8,037 "kamikaze" drones in attacks on settlements and military positions.

World

Iran Hangs Man Accused of Passing info to CIA, Mossad

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Iran Hangs Man Accused of Passing info to CIA, Mossad

The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)
The Iranian flag waves in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters, before the beginning of a board of governors meeting, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2021. (Reuters)

Iran said Monday it had hanged a man convicted of spying for Israel and the United States, the latest in a wave of executions during the war with the two foes.

"Erfan Shakourzadeh... was hanged for collaborating with the US intelligence service and the Mossad spy service," the judiciary's Mizan Online website said.

It did not specify when he was executed or when he was arrested, but said he worked at one of Iran's "scientific organizations active in the satellite field".

Iran has long faced Western accusations that its satellite program is being used to advance ballistic missile capabilities, reported AFP.

Mizan said Shakourzadeh had "knowingly and willingly" passed classified information to the CIA and Mossad.

Iran is the world's second-most prolific executioner, according to rights groups.

Norway-based group Iran Human Rights says the Iranian republic executed at least 1,500 people last year, one of the highest numbers worldwide.

Iran has been at war with Israel and the United States since late February, with a ceasefire in place since April 8.

Since the start of the conflict, Iran has ramped up executions, particularly in cases involving alleged espionage or security-related charges.

Last Monday, Tehran executed three men convicted of involvement in anti-government protests that rocked the country in December and January.